Shroom Shroom

You may have noticed that I take a lot of pictures of Mushrooms (and honestly other fungi as well.) It’s something that I do. It’s something that I find fun. It’s something I do just for me. It might not seem like it’s but it’s one of practical photography tips I often recommend. Taking Pictures of mushroom? No. Mushrooms are just a muse- and it amuses me. (And at times entertains me and my husband and the deer lease.) What can you use as a muse to make learning to see creatively and figuring out you camera more fun?

Creative & Practical Photography Tips: Indulge a Muse

I have about 140 pictures that I’ve kept of Mushrooms and other fungi. The earliest kept picture (above) dates back to 2007. I would imagine I’ve taken at least 500 pictures of mushrooms over the years and probably closer to 1,000. And in that process, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve had a lot of practice without really thinking about it. Clearly, I’ve taken a lot that I deleted for one reason or another- lots of shots that weren’t successful and others that just didn’t win out over better shots.

Shroom Shroom! (There were some Mazda commercials with the Zoom Zoom taglines that I used to love- not the ones with the loud music. . . but more of a whisper. I can’t find them on YouTube or I’d link it up here. But, I think of that when I see a ‘Shroom. . . ‘Shroom ‘Shroom.)

Here’s the thing about any one of them- the shots don’t matter. I mean really, think about it, the world is not going to crumble if I don’t get that shot of that yellow mushroom over there. I’m not even missing out on a good memory if I don’t get it. It’s just taking pictures because I want to. Everyone should take pictures like that. Everyone should have a muse.

Everyone should have a muse that doesn’t shy away from the camera, that doesn’t have to do anything for you to take a picture, that doesn’t move (well for the most part.) It gives you a chance to have a lot of fun. It gives you a chance to work on your photography. How do you make it interesting? How do you capture it? Can you get on a different angle? Can you take a shot and work on composition? It comes pretty naturally when you’ve got a willing subject like these.

Everyone should have a muse that you have to look for- to appreciate that it’s there. The kind that makes you giddy when you spot it.

What muse can you take up? What subject matter intrigues you? What can you take pictures of just because it interests you and you have a camera? Want some ideas? Check out Flickr Groups. There’s groups for all kinds of things that you can participate in and they’re teaming with ideas for muses- water drops, empty seats, hearts, movement, a particular color- you name it.